Shorter Than Me

4 Ecyn

"Way to show off," Briine says to me. I hear the joke in his voice, but I also sense a little bitterness. We're walking together across the large field.

"What?" He catches me off guard.

"Did you hear how many times he complimented your form, or your movement, or your skill, or speed, or whatever?"

"He complimented you too." I don't like where he's going with this.

"He praised you a whole lot more than me."

"Well do you want me to act worse than I am?"

"No- yes." He gives an exasperated sigh.

"What?"

"I don't know. Do what you want." He walks faster.

"Briine. What are you trying to say? Are you jealous or something?"

"What would I be jealous of?" The anger is clear in his tone and the long strides he's learned to shorten while walking with me are causing me to almost run beside him.

"Me. Are you jealous of my skills?"

"Of course not," he insists, obviously meaning the opposite.

"What do you want me to do? We can get up in the middle of the night to practice."

"There's miss Ecynya Guiin, always coming up with a solution to every problem."

"You're just being stupid now."

"I'm stupid? And you're smart I guess."

"Yes, I'm being smart. What do you want me to do about it?"

"Stop being... so... good." He realizes how stupid that sounds and walks faster. I run after him, but he breaks into a run. I chase after him as fast as I can. We've always been about as fast as each other, but the fact that I'm gaining on him tells me something in his subconscious at least wants me to catch up to him. I lunge and wrap my arms around him, dragging him to the ground with me. We roll around a little as he tries to get up and I attempt to keep him down.

"You want me to be bad at what I'm passionate about? You want me to be someone else?"

"Yes!" he replies angrily.

"That's stupid! Stop being an idiot!"

"Stop being a stuck-up-"

"You're the one who's blaming me!" I knee him in the stomach and shove his shoulders onto the ground. He sits up like it took barely any effort and pushes me down.

"I'm just saying-"

"Do you want me to be different?" I exclaim. I struggle to get his hands off my shoulders, but he's too heavy.

"I-"

"Is it the teaching you're getting?" I roll out from under him and push his hands away from me. "I can kill Captain Zebbo for you so you and I can both have Captain Levi teach us! Do you want me to? I will!"

"Don't kill him!"

"Then what do you want me to change?" I find his eyes, now above me, and lock them there with mine. He looks away and I know I've gotten to him somehow.

"Fine." He removes the pressure from my shoulder and arm and stands. He holds his hand out to help me up and I accept it.

"Fine what?" I demand.

"Fine, you win." He looks at the sky.

"So what are you going to do?" I still have an upset tone in my voice.

"I'm going to stop being a stupid idiot and listen to you."

I snicker. "That's good."

He sighs heavily. "You're not that great with the muscles, but you do have a fast mouth."

"Of course, titans don't listen to fast talkers."

"That's all that matters to you. Titans this, titans that."

"There are other things that matter to me."

"Like?"

"Like keeping my friends from going insane from jealousy."

"There are more friends?" He feigns surprise.

I step sideways to run into him. "Nope. Just one stupid friend."

"Thanks."

"You're also lots of other things. Brave, kind, strong-willed, smart, strong."

"That makes me feel better."

"But you were an idiot just now."

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay. Sharing feelings makes friendships last longer."

This could go in a way where he's like "Then I'll share this feeling." *Kiss* but that is not where I want it to go. Noooope.

"That sounds like something a girl would say." He nudges me with his elbow.

"Is there a girl here? I didn't know."

"I guess there are two."

I laugh and he laughs too.

Awwww they're so cute... I almost ship them... is that weird? Shipping my own characters? Whatever.

Is it just me or is it cute how she said she'd kill Captain Zebbo for him? Like friendship-wise.